Final witness says victim was agitated before interaction with man accused in his death
CBC
The defence called its second and final witness on Monday morning in Garrett Johnston's manslaughter trial in Saint John.
Wayne Batchelor testified he encountered the victim, Mark Baker, on Oct. 26, 2019 — sometime before Baker got into an altercation with Johnston and his friends outside a Saint John strip club.
Batchelor said he noticed Baker in the parking lot near Club Blush after closing time.
"When I saw him, he was, like, really agitated, super agitated," Batchelor said. "I know Mark from the past, so when I see him like that, I stop and talk to him."
He said Baker was annoyed, and he tried to calm him down.
In his cross-examination, prosecutor Jeremy Erickson asked if Baker was calm when Batchelor left him.
"It was hard to say with Mark," Batchelor said. "He'd give you a hug, and then 30 seconds later, he'd be off his rocker again."
Johnston, 24, is on trial for manslaughter in the death of Baker, 59.
From the Crown's opening remarks on Nov. 16, the jury was told there is no dispute that Johnston punched Baker in the face, causing him to fall backwards.
During the trial, medical experts testified that Baker suffered "catastrophic" brain injuries and died in hospital the next day.
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